poly or rubber spring bushings?

[Cecil14]

Trail rig ....rubber

Daily driver / mall crawler ....polyurethane

I would agree with that. On road manners should be better with poly, they have less give thus stiffening up the suspension. The sports car analogy is very accurate. Tighter suspension will give better handling at speed.

I don't offroad much, but have heard many people complain about the dirt/wear problem with poly bushings. That and they will not flex like rubber. Try to squeeze a poly bushing...it ain't happening.


aa

[Locked and Loaded]

Where are you guys getting the rubber bushings?

[badaboom]

Rubber for the shackles
I run poly on most eveything else.
I would use rubber for the body mounts also but I could not find them for the 1981

[Topgun2mo]

It's amazing how most of these polls are a knock out winner or a 50/50 split!!

[alwomac]

I recommend poly bushings. They allow more flex out of your springs instead of the bushings. Use the greaseable bolts in the shackle and spring hangers too which will reduce the noise and allow full motion as intended from your suspension. If you are running a daily driver as in almost exclusively on the road then use rubber. They are much less harsh and are very quiet and the bushings actually flex and dampen to absorp vibrations, but since we are posting in the Off-Road section I am assuming we are talking about what is best for off road. Rubber will flex, but bushing flex equals binding and twisting of the bushing which will in turn eventually bind the suspension or tear up the bushings. I personally have never had good luck with rubber bushings but it looks like a lot of you are running them with good success. Can anyone actually bottom out a long travel shock in either direction with a rubber bushing, if so I would like to see it and hear your secret as I would rather use rubber?

[serehill]

I just changed my vote

Just ask yourself a simple question: How long did the original bushings last? The auto factories still use steel encased rubber bushings, even though poly is widely available, and it's not because of price. Poly and rubber are about the same price when you compare the cost of the entire bushing, i.e., two halves and a spacer. It's always your choice, but I prefer steel encased rubber when it is available. BTW, I had to replace the poly bushings in my 4.5" lifted rear Comanche springs, because I couldn't stand the noise, and I greased mine with graphite grease. I replaced them with steel encased rubber, and I have heard nary a peep from them since.

-Tom

I would have said poly but I just learned a new trick. If Tom says rubber & he breaths this stuff what do I know. Ease of installation means nothing lesson learned.

[Maverick8706]

Not to hijack but could we get part numbers and where you can buy them for all the years of the fullsize. I think that would help alot of people.

[JeepinPete]

Raybestos makes all three:

5763356 - 2" spring bushing, for the large eye of the spring
5763305 - 1 1/4" spring bushing
5763340 - 1 1/2" spring bushing

I cannot recall which of the smaller two go where. All are available through Rockauto.com.

[Hippie Metal]

Always use a rubber.

agreed

[Stuka]

If I am doing up a car for road racing, poly 100%.

Offroad/daily driver, rubber is just fine. Plus I HATE the squeaking that comes with poly bushings. And no amount of grease seems to stop it. Plus the poly bushings split when you start flexing.

[orangecherokee]

I run poly mainly because that's what came with the springs. everything squeaks when you go offroad. I can't be for sure if it's the bushings or not. it can be annoying but I just turn my radio up and it doesn't bother me.

[jpcoutts]

Rubber. I've never understood the popularity of poly for offroaders, or even any DD for that matter. Poly became popular years ago with the racecar/sportscar crowd because they were one more way to limit flex in the suspension to keep their cars as "flat" as possible in the curves. Even they complained about the harshness of the ride and wear.

[alwomac]

I personally like the poly bushings in an offroad rig, but only when the bushing is mounted to the frame and not in a shackle. When you use the shackles that don't have bushing, I just use bolts with poly lock nuts and don't hammer them down tight and use garage door lube on the bolt and the outside of the bushing where it rubs the shackle. In my experience with a rig that articulates a lot the rubber just doesn't last and tears pretty quick. If I still had the shackles with the bushing in it, I would use rubber at that point. The poly bushings split in that application. The shackle twists up and busts out the harder poly. The poly is a bit cheaper also, the rubber bushings run $12 a piece for Moog at O'Reilly, and AutoZone ordered me a poly set for all three bushings on both front springs for $28. Now on a daily driver, I vote for rubber all the way. They are much smoother on the street and dont transmit all the harmonics and road vibrations.

[Dirt Wag]

WOW - could this poll be any closer??

[Dirtfarmer]

I recommend poly bushings. They allow more flex out of your springs instead of the bushings. Use the greaseable bolts in the shackle and spring hangers too which will reduce the noise and allow full motion as intended from your suspension. If you are running a daily driver as in almost exclusively on the road then use rubber. They are much less harsh and are very quiet and the bushings actually flex and dampen to absorp vibrations, but since we are posting in the Off-Road section I am assuming we are talking about what is best for off road. Rubber will flex, but bushing flex equals binding and twisting of the bushing which will in turn eventually bind the suspension or tear up the bushings. I personally have never had good luck with rubber bushings but it looks like a lot of you are running them with good success. Can anyone actually bottom out a long travel shock in either direction with a rubber bushing, if so I would like to see it and hear your secret as I would rather use rubber?

Where can I get greaseable bolts